Bears Trade for Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen
The Bears made their biggest splash of the 2024 NFL offseason acquiring Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday night. Chicago sent Los Angeles a fourth round pick in exchange for Allen and will pay the final year of his contract worth $18.1 million.
Chargers are trading WR Keenan Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick, as @JayGlazer reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2024
The third round pick out of California won offensive rookie of the year in 2013 but battled injuries the next three seasons that limited his production. He got back to health in 2017 and put together four 1000 yard receiving seasons in five years, becoming one of the best wideouts in the game. Injuries limited him to just 10 games in 2022 and he had his worst season since 2016.
Expectations for Allen were pretty low entering his age 31 season in 2023 but he massively exceeded them going to his sixth Pro Bowl with 1243 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in just 13 games. The Chargers were in need of salary cap relief and were forced to move him this offseason and the Bears pounced taking on his $18.1 million base salary and a $5 million roster bonus.
The combination of D.J. Moore and Allen gives Chicago its best duo at wide receiver in a long time and will definitely help whatever quarterback ends up under center. Injuries will be the chief concern with the new addition, as he has missed games with injuries in three of the past four years and he will be 32 when the season begins.
If he does stay on the field, however, Keenan Allen will produce, he has his entire career. The Bears are finally starting to collect some playmakers and it should make for a much more exciting offense in 2024.
